---
title: נָבֵל — sink down · The Tanakh dictionary
description: נָבֵל (5034), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 20 times: sink down. BDB 1906: vb. sink drop down, languish, wither and fall, fade. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# נָבֵל

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«נָבֵל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **sink down** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 20 times · **Key:** 5034 · **BDB:** נָבֵל

### Glosses

it.will.wither (3); it.withers (3); it.has.withered (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

sink down [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5034/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. sink drop down, languish, wither and fall, fade [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5034/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. sink or drop down, languish, wither and fall, fade (NH id.; Assyrian nabâlu, destroy, DlHWB 443 f. Arabic نَبَلَ v, viii. die; Aramaic נְבֵילָא corpse);— Pf. 3 ms. נ׳ Is 40:7, 8 Je 8:13; 3 fs. נָֽבְלָה Is 24:4(×2); Impf. 3 ms. יִבּוֹל ψ 1:3 + 4 times (on form cf. Ges§ 47 h Ol§ § 911 e, 912.2), 2 ms. תִּכֹּל Ex 18:18; 3 mpl. יִבֹּלוּ 2 S 22:46 = ψ 18:46, יִבּוֹל֑וּן ψ 37:2; 1 pl. וַנָּ֫בֶל Is 64:5 (on form cf. Di and Ol§ 236 e); Inf. abs. נָבֹל Ex 18:18; cstr. נְבֹל Is 34:4; Pt. נֹבֵל Is 28:1, 4; f. נֹבֶ֫לֶת abs. Is 34:4; cstr. Is 1:30;— sink or drop down, from exhaustion נָבֹל תִּבֹּל Ex 18:18 (Moses and Isr.); from discouragement 2 S 22:46 = ψ 18:46 (of foreigners, foes of Isr.); of mt. הַר־נֹפֵל יִבּוֹל Jb 14:18 (but נָפוֹל יִפּוֹל Lag Proph. Chald. Siegf Baer, after 𝔊, so Bu \[or יִבְלֶה\]; Du נָבוֹל יִבּוֹל). usually droop like a leaf, or flower wither and fall, fade: כְּאֵלָה נֹבֶ֫לֶת עָלֶ֑הָ Is 1:30 like an oak falling as to its leaves (sim. of people of Jerus.); the host of heaven יִבּוֹל כִּנְבֹל עָלֶה מִגֶּפֶן וּכְנֹבֶלֶת מִתְּאֵנָה Is 34:4; לֹא יִבּ׳ עָלֵהוּ Ez 47:12 (trees in Ezek.’s vision), so fig. of good man ψ 1:3; of Isr. Je 8:13, וַ֫נָּבֶל כֶּעָלֶה Is 64:5; also נָבֵל צִיץ 40:7, 8 (both ‖ יָבֵשׁ חָצִיר), צִיץ נֹבֵל 28:1, cf. v 4; of wicked כְּיֶרֶק דֶּשֶׁא יִבּ׳ ψ 37:2 (‖ כֶּחָצִיר יִמָּ֑לוּ); of devastated earth אָֽבְלָה נָֽבְלָה הָאָרֶץ אֻמְלְלָה נָֽבְלָה תֵּבֵ֑ל Is 24:4.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 16 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (7 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (6 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «נָבֵל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1504/5034/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[2 Samuel 22:46](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/2SA.22.46/)

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בְּנֵ֥י נֵכָ֖ר יִבֹּ֑לוּ וְיַחְגְּר֖וּ מִמִּסְגְּרוֹתָֽם׃

*Word for word:* sons of.foreignness they.withered and they.girded.themselves from strongholds their

*JPS 1917:* The sons of the stranger fade away, and come halting out of their close places.

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[Psalms 18:46](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.18.46/)

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בְּנֵי־נֵכָ֥ר יִבֹּ֑לוּ וְ֝יַחְרְג֗וּ מִֽמִּסְגְּרֽוֹתֵיהֶֽם׃

*Word for word:* sons of.foreignness they.withered and they.came.trembling from strongholds their

*JPS 1917:* The sons of the stranger fade away, and come trembling out of their close places.

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